


Crash

by Supersteffy



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bonding, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, LLF Comment Project, Light Angst, Long Live Feedback Comment Project, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 05:25:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19042024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supersteffy/pseuds/Supersteffy
Summary: When a crash puts Mokuba in surgery and leaves Seto shaken, Seto seeks support from the only people in his life.





	Crash

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to get back into writing more and start finishing a few of the WIPs in my backlog. Started this while in the emergency room with my mom.

_ It was all a blur. _

_ A blur of motion and light and screeching breaks and screaming before the world was flipped upside-down. Crunching glass and scraping metal as the limo rolled, sliding to a stop on its roof. _

_ A blur of panic as darkness faded in and out, flashes of reality bleeding through the haze: police sirens and emergency lights, unfamiliar voices asking questions. _

_ Blood. Blood everywhere. Blood that wasn't his... _

“Kaiba!”

Seto opened his eyes at his name. Lifting his head from where it rested, cradled between his hands, he gave a half-hearted nod to Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Téa as they filed into the small, private waiting room.

The beige color scheme and modern styled furniture was meant to help put waiting family and friends at ease, but it was doing little for Seto.

“Damn, Kaiba,” Joey said as he took in Kaiba's appearance. “Are you okay?”

There were small cuts and bruises already blooming on Seto's hands and face, he knew. But they looked worse than they were--nicks from shattered glass, some tender spots from being tumbled about like a shirt in the dryer. Vanity marks, nothing more.

More than anything, his heart felt bruised, constricting painfully in his chest.

“Kaiba?”

“Mokuba's in surgery,” he said, shaking the rust from his voice. “The doctors won't tell me anything.”

“I'm sure they will once there's something to tell,” Téa assured. Seto made a soft grunt, but didn't comment.

Yugi and the others took up seats near, but not too close to him, giving him both space and support. He silently appreciated the gesture.

He vaguely remembered calling Yugi, near-hysterical as he explained that they’d been in a car crash. But that felt far away.

The doctors had given him something to calm him. He supposed it worked. The world felt foggy--or maybe that was the concussion. They'd wanted him in a room for observation, but they could observe him just fine in the waiting room.

Roland cleared his throat from two chairs to Kaiba's left, and Seto glanced up at him, then the nurse who had stepped into the room.

“Mr. Kaiba? How's your head feeling?”

“Fine.”

He gave Seto a warm smile. “That's good. Mind if I do a few tests?”

“I already told you, I'm fine,” Seto growled. “I don't want to be poked and prodded at.”

“No poking or prodding. I promise,” the man said. Pulling out a flashlight, he shined it in Seto's eyes for a second before Seto batted it away.

Glaring at him, Seto snapped, “Why won't you people just leave me alone?!”

“Sir.” Roland spoke low, but the admonishment in his tone was clear. “The sooner you let him do his job, the sooner he'll leave.”

Seto pressed his lips together but gave the nurse a nod. He sat without complaint as the man tested his reactions.

“Thank you, Mr. Kaiba. You seem to be doing alright, but we're going to keep checking on you, just to be sure.”

“Can't wait,” Seto deadpanned.

Roland thanked the nurse and he left.

Palpable silence filled the room, so absolute that Seto could hear the electric hum of the overhead lights. It matched the buzzing in his mind.

Flashes of the accident played in his head: the seatbelt bisecting his waist, glass cutting into him all over, the sharp pain in his head when it was slammed against the window...

Mokuba, motionless and bleeding, hanging limp like a broken marionette, suspended from his own seatbelt in the upside-down vehicle.

The smell of coffee brought Seto back to reality, and he blinked at the styrofoam cup being held out to him. He looked up to see Joey standing over him with a second cup in his hand and a sympathetic smiled pulling at his lips.

“Thought ya could use a pick-me-up--or somethin’ ta fiddle with if nothin’ else.”

Seto gave him a thankful nod and took the cup. He didn't want to drink it--his stomach was in knots as it was--but the warmth was nice against his chilled hands.

Joey sat in the chair to Seto's right. He sipped his own coffee with a sigh.

“Where’re the others?” Seto wondered, noticing they were the only ones left in the small waiting room. Even Roland was missing.

“Went downstairs ta grab a bite. Yer security guy asked if ya wanted anythin’, but ya were kinda out of it, so he said he'd bring ya somethin’.”

Seto grunted and stared at the steam drifting up from his coffee.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Joey broke it again.

“Waitin's the worst part. I remember when Serenity had her eye surgery, we were at the hospital fer  _ hours _ . There were last minute prep things, and then the surgery itself--man, I don't even remember how long it was, but it felt like a freakin’ week passed. An’ the whole time, all I could think about was all the things that could go wrong. What if the surgery didn't work? What if they made things  _ worse _ or there were complications--?”

“Are you  _ trying _ to make me feel worse?” Seto interrupted. The hot coffee threatened to spill over the cup's sides as his hands tightened around it.

“I ain't finished.” Joey took a sip of coffee before continuing. “Like I said, I worried, an’ every worst-case scenario played in my head. But in the end, Serenity came out of it fine, and a few months later, she was well enough ta remove her bandages.”

“This isn't the same.”

Seto felt Joey's eyes studying his profile.

“No,” Joey said after a minute. “Ain't the same. Jus’ sayin’ I've been there, an’ I know it sucks. Tha's all.”

More silence. More waiting.

“I don't know what I'll do,” Seto whispered.

Joey didn't say anything, and Seto glanced sidelong at him to see if he'd heard. Joey met his eyes for a brief moment until Seto cast his gaze back to his lap.

Seto took a deep breath.

“My whole life…everything I do, every decision I make, he's the first thing I think of. I don't know what I'll do--if--”

Seto choked as tears fell without his permission. They splashed into the coffee and dotted his pants. A warm hand rested, light and unsure, on his shaking shoulder as all of the feelings he hadn’t let himself feel since the crash bombarded him at once.

Grief, anger, hopelessness. It was too much; he felt raw. He wanted to lash out at Joey, to slap his hand away and start an argument, anything to distract him from the void threatening to swallow him up.

Instead, he leaned into the touch. He set the cup down and buried his face in his hands while Joey rubbed slow, calming circles into his back.

“It's alright,” Joey whispered. His voice cracked, but he continued. “I'm sure they got the best doctors around workin’ on ‘im. Mokuba's gonna--”

“ _ Don't. _ ”

Joey's hand paused at Seto's sharp tone.

“Can you suddenly see the future? Do you have Ishizu's magic necklace hidden somewhere? You can't know with absolute certainty that he's going to be fine, so don't tell me he will. I don't want false hope.”

Seto heard Joey swallow, felt more than saw him nod.

“Okay.”

They both glanced up as the others returned from the cafeteria. Roland had a carry out bag in hand that contained a variety of food: a salad, some sort of wrap, a fruit cup or yogurt parfait…Seto's stomach roiled, and he shook his head when Roland offered him the bag.

“You need to eat, sir.”

“Later.”

“Sir--”

“ _ Later _ .”

Roland sighed, but set the bag beside his own chair.

Joey cleared his throat as Yugi and the others glanced in their direction. His hand slipped away from Seto's shoulder as he stood, and Seto reflexively grabbed it. He kept his eyes trained on the wet marks on his knees.

“Stay.”

He'd tried to make it sound like an order, but the rasp in his voice made it a plea. After a second's hesitation, Joey sat back down, his fingers lacing with Seto's.

“I ain't goin’ anywhere. Promise.”

X

“Mr. Kaiba?”

Seto's head snapped up at the sound of the doctor's voice. He shot to his feet and Joey stood with him, their hands still entwined. Seto's grip tightened as he waited, scarcely breathing.

“Your brother's out of surgery. We were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage to his spleen. His left ulna is fractured, but not broken, and like yourself, he sustained a minor concussion, but there should be no significant lasting damage. You're both very lucky.”

Seto's heart hammered. The sudden rush of relief made him lightheaded. He felt Joey's other hand come up to steady him as he swayed. Joey tried to coax him to sit down but he fought it.

“I need to see him,” Seto demanded.

The doctor nodded. “Follow me, Mr. Kaiba.”

Seto gave Joey's hand a light squeeze before pulling away to follow the doctor. Roland trailed after them.

Watching them disappear, Joey wrapped his arms around himself and sighed.

“I'm so glad Mokuba's going to be okay,” Téa said.

“He's a tough kid,” Tristan said.

Yugi caught Joey's eye. “Even the strongest people have their breaking points.”

“Yeah…” Joey huffed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Hey, whaddya say we go down an’ get the kid somethin’ from the gift shop? Might cheer 'im up a bit.”

“Great idea,” Téa said. “I bet he'll like that!”

“You guys can go,” Yugi said, smiling. “I'll stay here in case Kaiba comes back with news.”

X

It wasn't long after they returned from the gift shop that Roland came back to lead them to Mokuba's room. Mokuba was still out, but Seto glanced up when they entered. He'd pulled one of the chairs up beside the bed and was holding the hand of the arm that hadn't been wrapped in a cast. He thanked Téa for the flowers she sat on a nearby table, but raised an eyebrow at the giant purple teddy bear Joey had stuffed under one arm.

“Wasn't sure what ta get 'im,” Joey muttered, glancing down at the bear. “Wanted somethin’ cheery, ya know, fer when the kid wakes up. Smells like lavender, which is s'posed ta be relaxin’ or...somethin’...”

“I’m sure he'll appreciate it,” Seto said when Joey trailed off.

“I'll just…” Joey nodded at an empty chair against the wall before propping the bear up in it.

Awkwardness filled the room as everyone stood, sat, and leaned, not sure what to say.

Seto's phone beeped, breaking the silence.

“The doctors say the anesthesia should wear off soon,” Seto said, his thumb sweeping over the touchscreen as he swyped a quick reply to a text. "But that doesn't mean he'll wake up tonight. Even if he does, he'll probably be out of it. They have him pretty doped up."

"At least he won't be feeling any pain," Tristan said.

Seto nodded. "You don't have to stick around if you don't want to."

"Of course we'll stay!" Téa said.

"Yeah, it's no trouble!" Yugi agreed. Tristan nodded.

"Unless, of course, ya just wanna spend some family time wit' 'im?" Joey put in, scrutinizing Kaiba's unreadable expression.

Seto flicked his gaze up to meet Joey's. They stared for a long moment, and without Kaiba saying a word, Joey understood. He gave Kaiba a nod and turned to the others.

"It's been a long day. How's about we let the kid rest fer the night? We can always come back an' see 'im tamorrow, yeah?"

"Okay!" Yugi agreed readily.

"Sure," Tristan said, heading for the door. "That'll give me time to get him a proper get-well gift--like the biggest box of chocolates I can find! Nothing heals quite like chocolate."

Yugi and Téa said goodbye to Seto before following Tristan out. Joey hung back, his hand carding though his hair as he glanced between Kaiba and the door.

"Well, guess we'll see ta tomorrow, then. Take care 'a that bruised brain 'a yers, yeah?"

Kaiba gave a snort that somehow managed to be both grateful and sarcastic at the same time. "Right."

Joey bit his lip. "Okay…well, guess I'll leave ya to it. G'night, Rich Boy."

"Hey, Joey? One more thing."

Joey had turned to leave, but paused and looked back at Kaiba at the sound of his name. His heart raced when he saw the usually-stoic brunette half-smiling at him.

"Thanks."

Joey swallowed and returned the smile. "Anytime," he promised, and left.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
>   * Random keyboard mashing because words could never adequately convey your feels
> 

> 
> This author sees and appreciates all comments and tries to reply to all of them.
> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


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